PistonPowered
Fansided

Detroit Pistons: 3 former players who would have helped the this year

By Nicolas Henkel

DETROIT, MI - APRIL 22: Ish Smith #14 of the Detroit Pistons warms up before Game Four of Round One against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 22: Ish Smith #14 of the Detroit Pistons warms up before Game Four of Round One against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
Detroit Pistons
Ish Smith #14 of the Detroit Pistons (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) /

After a disappointing season that was plagued by injuries, the Detroit Pistons could easily look back and wish they had some former players this year.

The 2019-2020 season was a result of a few major design flaws for the Detroit Pistons.

For starters, this is what happens when you construct your roster in a way that heavily prioritizes the use of players who have a frequent history with injuries. As unfortunate as it is that some of them did get hurt, the possibility was always known.

Secondly, to even put yourself in this situation is a product of pure negligence and avoiding the real problem that has plagued this franchise for the better part of a decade. It was time to rebuild years ago. Admittedly the aforementioned injuries did force Detroit in this direction, so it wound up being a blessing in disguise.

light. Also. The Pistons will draft the top available player

With how poorly the season went, it’s easy to look to previous seasons and think “man, player x would have been great for this team”. So who comes to mind?

Ish Smith

One of the fan favorites from the last few years, Ish Smith acted as the glue that held the teams he played for together. When Reggie Jackson was hurt, Smith was able to step up and, although it wasn’t always pretty, he got the job done.

In his third and final season with Detroit he grew more comfortable with taking three-pointers, and it helped open up the offense. His ability to get to the basket was effortless given his speed.

Note: I tried finding the graphic but couldn’t. In the opening game of the 2018-2019 season there was a graphic that showed Smith was the fastest player in the NBA based on ‘MPH’ averaged on the court.

He was a great facilitator, and he would have brought some much needed fluidity to Detroit this season. Derrick Rose was the only consistent main option at point guard for the first three months while Jackson was hurt, and then after he was bought out, it was back to Rose again.

Brandon Knight is fine, Bruce Brown is fine, but Smith is a legitimate point guard that the Pistons needed.

Had he not missed 18 straight games during the 2018-2019 season, Detroit may have wound up with a better seed in the playoffs. That injury temporarily derailed their season, and they had to roll the dice with Jose Calderon in the second unit.

Home/Pistons News